Clinical trials offer hope
Organized around nine cancer-specific research groups, the Cancer Institute’s Clinical Research Program is designed to focus on breakthrough research, discoveries and therapies.
The oncologic specialists are members of one of nine tumor site teams, and each Cancer Institute team is led by a dedicated physician and supported by highly trained clinical research staff. The Clinical Trials Office also supports these teams with centralized business operations and quality assurance measures.
Additionally, our close collaborations with our colleagues at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, along with our partnership in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance, as well as other partnerships and collaborations in novel clinical trials, mean the Cancer Institute offers you and your patients access to a broad range of leading-edge clinical trials – facilitating access to potentially promising new therapies not yet available to the general market.
Our unique collaborations – combined with the advanced technology utilized by our genomic center specialists – create a Clinical Trials program virtually unmatched by any other in South Florida and considered among one of the best in the nation.
Clinical trials are at the heart of all medical advances
Only through clinical research can we gain insights into new ways to prevent and detect cancer and learn about the safety and efficacy of new therapies and medicines.
Baptist Health Research
The Baptist Health Research program focuses on the acceleration of healthcare discovery and innovation through collaborative clinical research across Baptist Health, which supports the organization’s long-standing commitment to providing the highest quality of patient care guided by evidence-based practices.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Clinical trials are designed by physicians and researchers who develop an action plan (protocol) that describes the study’s objective, steps, methodologies and schedule. Doctors also evaluate criteria such as your cancer type, age, gender, medical history and current health status to determine your eligibility for participation in the study.
-
A doctor or research nurse from the research team will provide you with important facts about the clinical trial. You will learn about its purpose, tests and procedures as well as possible risks and benefits.
-
Clinical trials are conducted in accordance with strict scientific and ethical principles. Groups of experts at the national and local levels, including the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the research organization implementing the trial, approve research studies before they begin. An IRB, which is comprised of doctors, researchers, community leaders and other consumers, protects your safety by ensuring the study is conducted fairly and you are well-informed of your rights during the study. If you choose to participate in the study, you will be asked to sign a consent form that explains the study. However, even if you sign the consent form, you may stop participating in the study at any time.
-
- You may have access to promising new therapies that doctors hope will be more effective or less toxic than the standard treatment. In many cases, these therapies are not yet available to patients outside the study.
- You can play an active role in your cancer care by expanding your treatment options.
- You will receive expert medical care during the trial and throughout your treatment.
- Your overall health is closely monitored throughout the trial.
-
- Participants in randomized studies will not choose the approach they receive.
- Therapies under study are not always better than the standard care.
- New treatments may have unknown side effects or risks.
-
- What is the purpose of this study?
- How will it help me or other patients?
- What side effects might I experience?
- What other treatment options are available?
- Are there possible long-term risks?
- How will participating in this study affect my daily life?
- What are the treatments, medical tests or procedures I will undergo during the study?
- Who will oversee my care?
- How long will the study last?
- Will my health insurance cover treatments and tests I receive as part of this study?
- What kind of follow-up care will I receive after the study?
Meet the Experts
Miami Cancer Institute has oncology specialists who are members of nine tumor site teams. Each team is led by a dedicated physician and supported by clinical research staff. The clinical trials office supports the teams with centralized business operations and quality assurance measures.
Contact Us
If you are a healthcare professional and would like to refer a patient or schedule a consultation, please contact the clinical trials office.